Untitled
by iheartcoco
Summary: Five moments from over the years of the Marauders, as seen through the eyes of Peter Pettigrew. Centered around beverages. All will become clearer inside. Hints of Sirius and Remus.


**I wanted to take my writing more in the direction of the Mauraders for a while, and somehow came up with the idea of centering these one shots around beverages. I decided to write from the point of view of Peter. As always, tell me what you think!**

**_Lemonade_**

It's stifling hot as you all loiter around underneath the shade of the huge willow tree in Remus's back garden. It's the summer holidays and the first time any of you have been to Remus's house before. When you go back to Hogwarts preparation for your N.E.W.T's will begin, but you're all trying not to think about that right now. As Sirius proclaims, you're living in the moment.

James is lay on his stomach, scribbling away on a piece of parchment. He's writing a letter to Lily. They've never been out of correspondence since the day they got together. James's owl, Artemis, is lingering in her cage, which James has dragged out on to the lawn and draped with an old towel to provide shade. He seals the letter and shoves it in to Artemis's beak. You all watch as she soars off in to the blinding sun.

Behind you Remus is sat with his back against the tree, his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal a cluster of messy scars flowing up his arms. However Remus seems unpretrubed by it, his eyes are closed and he looks more peaceful than you've seen him for a while. Maybe it's because he's at home.

Sirius is flopped out on the grass, his head resting in Remus's lap. You aren't sure what they're playing at exactly but their closeness is something you're all slowly getting used to. James said that he isn't bothered, he saw the signs years ago, and you pretended that you had too, even though you've never really been tuned in to the bigger picture side of things.

You all hear the back door leading from the kitchen snap open, and Sirius quickly leaps up. Remus's mother comes walking around the corner. She's a lot older than most mother's you know, but then you live with your gran so what right do you have to judge? She's kind though, very homely and protective. In her arms she's carefully carrying a jug of lemonade. Beads of condensation are frosting the glass. Behind her four glasses are floating in mid air.

"I thought you could all do with a drink, it's hotter than dragon fire out here," Mrs Lupin announces.

"Thanks mum," Remus mumbles.

She sets the tray down on the grass then leaves them to it. Remus kneels over the glasses, pouring lemonade in to each of them. "Cheers!" James says cheerfully, raising his glass in to the air. You all clink glasses.

"I've got a good feeling about this year," You say suddenly, surprising even yourself.

"Why's that Wormy?" James asks, humouring you.

You stare down in to your glass with a shrug. "Dunno. Things are changing, you know?" You take a quiet sip.

You expect the others to start taking the piss but instead they all look very pensive. You give each other slightly shy smiles.

"Oh look, Artemis is back," James says. The owl lands beside him and James can hardly wait to tear the letter from her leg. Remus leans back against the tree, Sirius puts his head back in to his lap, and you finish your lemonade, wondering what the year really has in store.

**_Whiskey_**

You have your first taste of whiskey during your fourth year of Hogwarts, when James and Sirius go down to the kitchens and nick three great bottles of it. Well, they say nicked, but the house elves are so generous it isn't exactly hard. You leavethe rest of Gryffindor house down in the common room whilst the four of you sneak off upstairs, the bottles clinking underneath your robes.

Remus is reluctant to participate in something so risky, you're anxious because you weren't sure if you'd like the effects. Curiosity kills the centaur, and your mischievous streaks come out to play. The four of you make a sort of den on the dorm floor with your bedsheets and pillows, then Sirius cracksopen the first bottle with a flourish and you all drink.

It's the most disgusting thing you have ever tasted. You take your first swig like it's nothing more than pumpkin juice, the others don't warn you that it will set your throat on fire. You instantly begin to splutter and thrash on the ground as the others roarwith laughter. It isn't long before you are all well and truly plastered.

The drinking habits that will carry on throughout the years to come make their first appearances that night. James is always the first, and usually only, one to throw up. He just can't hold his liquor, you smugly suppose. Sirius is the drunk that everybody loves, hilarious and absolutely bat shit crazy. Remus turns horribly clumsy and dosile, everything confuses him and you titter as he stumbles around like a lost puppy. Siriustakes it upon himself to flock over James and take Remus under his wing, ignoring how inept alcohol makes him as he tries to comfort his friends. And you arethe only one who never wakes up with a hang over. Never, no matter what. The others loath you for it.

That was back then.

Now the only time you drink whiskey is when you want to drown out the pain. You stare in to the amber liquid, wondering where it all went so wrong. Then you take a large gulp and pray that you'll wake up in the morning in the foulest state possible.

**_Tea_**

You've just woke up and as you stumble in to the kitchen the first thing you do is switch on the kettle. Its automatic, an action that requires no conscience. You've started the day this way for so many years now that its hard to imagine going without it. You line the mugs up in front of you - four of them, as always. They're chipped and stained inside, James brought them with him from his parents house when you all moved in, Merlin knows how old they are.

You drop the tea bags in to each cup in turn. Sirius drinks his as black as his name. James slops in so much milk you'd think that the last cow in existence had just been slaughtered. Remus dips a chocolate bar in to his, which quite frankly you find disgusting. And you like sugar in yours. Lot and lots of sugar. Day light is only just breaking, but it isn't unusual for you to be up so early. You hardly sleep a wink these days. The kitchen is bathed in a pale blue glow, the shadows are shrinking away and the boiler has just turned itself on. Its so peaceful standing alone in this kitchen.

The first set of footsteps sound. You wonder who it will be. Who do you _want _it to be? It turns out that its Sirius. He lopes in to the kitchen, and you watch his grace with a pang of jealousy. He's so effortless, Sirius. He's everything you wish you were. He grins at you and flops in the the nearest chair, swinging his legs up on to the table in one swift movement.

"Got the kettle on, Wormtail? Excellent," He chirps.

You smile then turn around to finish off the tea. Steadily you carry yours and his over to the table, leaving James and Remus's to cool on the side. In silence you both take slow, slurping sips. There's a sudden clatter against the window and you both glance up to see the post owl flapping its wings outside. Sirius fishes out a cluster of change from his pockets as he walks over to collect the paper. In the time it takes him to do this, somebody else enters the kitchen.

It's Remus. He looks thin and grey, a fresh scar ripping across his cheek. You find yourself feeling jealous of him too, as you always have done. He is what he is but yet James and Sirius still favour him over you. He's nothing but a beast. Quickly you push this poisonous thought out of your mind. Remus is your friend, your brother even. You love him, you don't really mean it, so you smile at him and he smiles back, oblivious.

"Is one of them mine? Thanks," Remus says, walking sluggishly over to collect his cup of tea. As he passes Sirius you notice the small smiles that flicker across both of their faces, the small connection that fizzles whenever they are near. They fooled around together in the past but that's all over now, or so you thought.

Ten minutes pass as the three of you sit drinking your tea. Sirius is reading the paper, Remus is kneading his knuckles in to his aching knees, and you are pensively watching the clock. The same question is echoing in the backs of all of your minds: _Where is James? _

"Where's Prongs?" Remus eventually says.

"Probably gone to see Lily," Sirius replies.

You all stare at his untouched tea, the steam is swirling less quickly now, and you all know that if you touched the mug it'd be stone cold. You stand up to pour it away.

You're all oblivious to the fact that soon, so very soon, that fourth mug of tea will always remain untouched.

**_Coffee_**

Coffee and cigarettes. They go so perfectly together, matches made in heaven, like bacon and eggs, day and night. Like James and Lily. She's around almost all of the time now, you can barely remember the last time it was just the four of you. You don't mind her really, she's nice, she doesn't treat you like an idiot like the others, but her tinkling laughter is just a tiny bit annoying, the way she stares at James sometimes makes you feel sick.

You all drink your coffee black, the cigarettes seem to taste so much better that way. The endless cups can sometimes go well in to the night, its no wonder you all find it so hard to sleep. You take turns in making it and popping to the shop around the corner for packets of fags in between.

You all smoke differently. James savours his cigarettes, taking an age to finish it and sometimes stubbing it out half way through, tucking it behind his ear for later. Sirius is as extravagant as always, blowing rings in to the hazy air above him. Remus tends to chain smoke, he's terrible for it, ignoring the lectures. Lily isn't much of a smoker, she usually just finishes off the ends of James's cigarettes. And apparently you don't even inhale properly.

You aren't exactly sure what you all talk about. The conversation just flows effortlessly, it's always been that way. Depending on the mood of the evening James and Sirius will crack their usual jokes, ever the notorious double act, so that the rest of you are falling off your chairs in hysterics, slopping coffee all down your shirts. Sometimes the atmosphere is subdued, you all just sit their cocooned in your own thoughts, watching the cigarette smoke curl all around you. Sometimes you like to pretend that the smoke is a shield.

These days you really wish it was.

**_Champagne_**

At James and Lily's wedding you have champagne. Waiters carry sparkling glasses of it around on gleaming silver plates, and you marvell at just how much money Sirius has donated towards the funds of the wedding. It was his wedding present to them, he said. The champagne fizzes in your head and makes you feel happy. Everyone is walking around with flushed cheeks and wide grins tonight.

Everyone except you. The guilt is eating you up and you're wondering if you have aken on more than you could handle. You stow yourself away in a corner, cradling your champagne as you watch James and Lily take to the floor for their first dance. They spin around the floor and you wonder if you'll ever find love like that.

Slowly others rise from their seats to join them. Sirius is running a hand down the back of a busty blond, whispering in to her ear as they waltz around the floor. Remus is dancing with Emmeline Vance, shooting glances in Sirius's direction every so often. And you have no one. The champagne in your hand quickly goes warm.

Sirius suddenly leaves the dance floor, dragging the blond out of the large ballroom and, you are sure, towards the hotel rooms above you. She looks like Christmas has come early. You spot Remus gazing forlornly after them. He notices you noticing him and quickly tries to pretend everything is alright. You're all getting very good at doing that these days.

Remus joins you and the both of you sit in silence, drinking your warm champagne. "Look at them," Remus says, nodding over at James and Lily, who are locked in a kiss.

"They seem very happy together," You comment.

"We could all do with a bit of happiness in our lives right now," Remus sighs. You sigh back.

Oh look, here comes a waiter. You lick your lips as you await more champagne.


End file.
